Melt With Me
by madharpskills
Summary: I had a dream so I had to write this. I need a creative outlet. No shame right? This is a modern AU Frozen story. From the pov of OC Mike.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, so this is my first story in a looong time, and like the description says _it came to me in a dream _O_O but really I've been listening to Let It Got like seven times a day so it's not really a shocker. I don't own anything except my OCs, Mike and Joe. The rest belongs to Disney. Hope you like.**

The day was beautiful, and stiflingly hot. Though there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the bright blue sky, the sun seemed ready to set the dry grass ablaze. And the new residents of Bjorn Hall, the freshman dorms at Arendelle University, felt ready to crawl under any available rock to escape the sun's glare.

One young man among many stood still in the midst of the bustling scene. He was fairly tall and of average build, with brown hair and intense brown eyes. He was absently twirling a set of keys around his finger.

Mike watched the scene for a moment; the girls unabashedly, sometimes tearfully, embracing their parents in farewell, the boys remaining stoic as they casually waved goodbye, their belongings strewn across the lawn. Some were still unpacking suitcases and boxes from the backs of cars; others were simply sprawled in the shade of some trees. He turned away to open the passenger side door of his Jeep and retrieve his backpack, then started making his way into the hive of activity.

His room was on the second floor, and he'd already moved all of his belongings in. He didn't have much; Mike believed in a simple life. Unlike most of the others, he had come alone. He wasn't one for tearful goodbyes and neither were his parents. He recalled the scene only a few minutes ago when he'd gone to the office to pick up his room key.

"Your parents are not with you?" asked the desk lady with surprise and a bit of what sounded like suspicion to Mike.

"No, I'm here by myself," he'd replied, immediately feeling like a loser. He'd have to make some friends soon, he had realized with an internal groan.

"Alright then," the lady shrugged. She tapped away on her computer and handed him a key.

"Room 226. Have a nice day," she said, waving him off to help the next student.

Mike's thoughts were replaced with mild surprise when he saw that there was someone already in his room. When he'd first brought in all of his things, one of the beds was already made up and there was a lamp and some papers on the desk, but the owner was nowhere to be found. This time, Mike was met with the sight of a stout, dark haired and stubble faced young man sprawled out on the floor.

"Oh, hey. You must be Mike. I'm Joe." He scrambled to his feet to offer Mike his hand.

"That's me," Mike said as they shook.

Before he could say anything else, Joe continued, "So friggin' hot today. That's why I was lying on the floor. But look I'm here on a wrestling scholarship so you might not see a lot of me. Gotta maintain good habits you know?"

Mike didn't know anything about wrestling but shrugged in acceptance. "That's ok." He set about unpacking some more of his belongings while Joe watched. He awkwardly tried to make some conversation.

"It is really hot. Not usually like this, this time of year," he said.

Joe continued surveying him and replied simply, "Yeah."

Mike felt even more awkward and felt it best not to say anything else.

"Well I'm off. Gonna hit the gym," Joe announced as he finally seemed to lose interest in Mike and swung a duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Right," Mike said.

That sucked, he thought. Maybe it'll get better, but at least he won't be around all the time, I guess.

Mike finished putting away his things to his satisfaction and lay down on the floor after some hesitation. It didn't help much. It was still hot, and he could feel his shirt sticking to him. He went over his class schedule in his mind. Classes would begin in two days; until then he wouldn't have much to do. He let out a sigh and rolled onto his stomach. He remained there until it began to get dark, then lifted himself onto his bed and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The first week of Mike's college life passed in a whirlwind. His classes were straightforward enough, the cafeteria was better than he'd expected, and he'd established a mutual respect with his roommate, Joe. They had an unspoken agreement that they both (well, mostly Joe) would refrain from bringing people over. Though he was from out of town, Joe already had a large group of rowdy friends, mostly wrestlers and their friends. Mike, on the other hand, kept mostly to himself. He had friends back home, but they'd all chosen to pursue work elsewhere rather than go to school. As it was, Mike spent most of his time reading his textbooks and walking around campus.

At the end of the week, following a phone call where his mother berated him for not being social, Mike made his way to the lounge on the first floor where a party was in full swing. There were pulsing lights and loud music, and it was packed with people. Mike thought blandly that it ought to be easy to find a friend among so many, but he was always selective about the company he kept.

Mike's musings were interrupted as a young man about his height pushed by, causing him to stumble a bit.

"Sorry about that!" the stranger said. "You alright?"

Mike opened his mouth but before he could reply, the stranger stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Hans."

"Mike," he said and shook with Hans.

"Can I get you a drink?" Hans offered. Mike had the distinct impression that Hans was not used to being denied.

"No thanks," he replied.

Hans shrugged. "Have it your way," he said and walked away.

Mike noticed the symbols on his polo signifying his status as a fraternity member, as well as the confidence in his step. People like him are the reason I don't like to get out, thought Mike. Though Hans hadn't actually done anything to offend, Mike considered himself a good judge of character and he immediately took a dislike to him. He put Hans out of his mind and moved to the far wall. Before he could take a seat, another young man approached and smiled at Mike. He was taller than Hans, and broader, but with blond hair and less handsomely arrogant features. He too offered his hand but there was a genuine smile in his eyes as he did so and introduced himself.

"Kristoff," he said, and Mike smiled back at him.

"I'm Mike. Some party, I guess," he said and grasped Kristoff's' hand.

"Oh, this isn't even as good as it gets," replied Kristoff. "Frat boys like that guy Hans thrive on stuff like this, but us normal guys usually only pretend to like it so's not to be a total outcast."

Mike nodded. "Hans seems like….quite a character," he said.

Kristoff frowned. "He's a total douche. He's seeing this high school chick and completely taking advantage of her. She's way too good-" Kristoff cut himself off. "Anyway, he's a spoiled rich kid."

Mike nodded again. "I got that impression too."

Kristoff smiled and clapped Mike on the shoulder. "Nothing like a common enemy to bring people together, eh?"

Mike laughed and agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few days Mike started to spend some time with Kristoff and they became friends. He lived a few floors above Mike and owned an old Playstation that made strange noises but ran just fine. Though he was a freshman like Mike, he seemed to have the university wired, and showed Mike all the best places to hang out and all the shortcuts he knew, as Mike was still trying to figure out the best routes to his classes. It turned out that he had a crush on the girl Hans was seeing. "He's a prick," he'd say whenever Hans came up in conversation. "Anna deserves someone better."

"Someone like you?" teased Mike, earning a shove from his friend.

Meanwhile, Mike was getting a better feel for which of his classes he'd have to invest the most in. He didn't know what direction he wanted his life to take, and he was in no hurry to decide. So he had enrolled in some general classes. He'd always had an interest in science and his social studies classes were fine, but his worst class by far was creative arts. It was required, but completely useless in Mike's mind. More than once he had lost patience and simply left the class, unnoticed, as it was a huge class. It was extremely low on Mike's list of priorities, until one day he realized he might fail if he didn't do something to rectify his dismal grades. So it was that he reluctantly made his way to the professor's office in the art building to plead for his grade.

It didn't go particularly well, but the professor had grudgingly offered Mike some make up work, which he gratefully took. He was not going to suffer through another semester of creative arts if there was anything he could do to prevent it.

Mike backed out of the room with his stack of papers, still thanking the grumpy professor. He turned around a bit too quickly, and ran straight into someone in the hallway. His papers floated to the floor and settled around his feet, but he could only stare at the person he'd knocked down. As she narrowed her eyes at him, however, he mentally shook himself and offered his hand.

"I am so, so sorry," he finally managed as she dusted herself off.

"That's fine," she said, a touch of ice in her voice. She looked him in the eyes and he flinched a bit on the inside.

The girl picked up her bag and began walking away. "Wait!" Mike called, frantically gathering his things and jogging after her. She looked at him again but continued walking.

"Let me take your bag," Mike said, pleading in his mind but managing to keep his voice neutral. She stopped, surveying him for a second, then relented. Mike took the bag from her and examined her out of the corner of his eye. She was beautiful, probably the prettiest girl Mike had ever seen. She had very light blond hair gathered into a braid that came down over one shoulder, and she wore a pale blue shirt over dark skinny jeans that showed off her perfect curves. She wore an almost stern expression, her pale eyebrows arched over her ice blue eyes. Mike focused his sight back on where he was going.

"I'm Mike. I'm really sorry," he said awkwardly.

She gave him an amused smile that made his stomach leap, and replied, "It's fine. Really," and Mike grinned back at her.

"What's your name?" he asked, dying to know.

She flashed him that smile again and said, "Elsa."

_Elsa, _he thought. He was sure it was the most beautiful name he'd ever heard.

"Well, let me buy you coffee sometime. I still feel kinda bad," he laughed nervously, his mind screaming at him for his forwardness. They stopped at the end of the hallway.

"Alright then." Relief pooled in Mike's chest. She watched him expectantly and he quickly remembered to give her bag back.

"Is tomorrow too soon?" he asked, then mentally kicked himself. He was pushing his luck.

But she only laughed a bit (a sound that made Mike feel weak) and said, "Not at all. I'll be in the library after my 9:30 class. See you then." With that she fixed him with her icy stare and small smile again and left.

Mike felt a little heady but elated. "Okay!" he called after her. "See you tomorrow…."


	4. Chapter 4

That night, Mike stared at the ceiling from his bed. He was still feeling a little giddy from his encounter with Elsa.

He had only felt like this about a girl once before. Mike had fallen in love at age 16, with his high school girlfriend. He knew that it sounded dumb, especially to his friends, but being the only child of his parents, who were both engineers, he'd always been wise beyond his years (or so he was told by his parents' adoring friends). The relationship was perfect for a while, then it came crashing down when first she, then Mike himself were diagnosed with major depression. Her parents had disapproved of the relationship from the beginning, and the added pressure of the illness caused her to pull away and lash out at Mike whenever he tried to reach back out to her. After a while he'd simply given up, closing himself off to everyone but his closest friends. Eventually she moved away, but the dull pain in his gut remained.

Mike had hoped to come to college and start fresh by making new friends, but either it was harder than he'd anticipated or he was less willing than he ought to be. He knew the real reason was more the latter, but he didn't care enough to try any harder. However, Mike was grateful for the one friend he'd made so far, Kristoff; he didn't ask Mike to be anyone but himself and carried no expectations of him.

Just as Mike's thoughts had wandered to his friend, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey," greeted Kristoff as Mike opened the door.

"Hi," replied Mike, rubbing his face. "What's up?"

"I'm headed to the cafeteria for some late night snackage. Wanna come?"

Mike blew some air out of his lips. "Nah, I'm not hungry."

Kristoff edged past him to flop down on his roommate's bed; Joe was out with friends, as usual. Amused, Mike followed suit and sat down opposite his friend.

"So what's up?"

Mildly surprised, Mike said, "What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen you all day and you're not hungry. You're always hungry."

Mike chuckled. It was true that he would rarely turn down a chance at some food. "Alright then, fair enough."

Kristoff grinned and repeated, "So what's up?"

Mike averted his gaze to Joe's calendar of swimsuit-clad women. "Well, I met this girl…."

Kristoff laughed. "Of course! What else could put you out of action? So who is she?"

"Her name is Elsa-"

"Elsa?!" Kristoff interrupted. "Did she have, like, white hair?"

"Yeah…."

"That's Anna's older sister!"

Mike blinked. "Really? Huh."

Kristoff leaned forward and caught his friend's eye. "Watch yourself, man. She doesn't take any nonsense."

Mike nodded. "I could see that."

Kristoff puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms.

"What else do you know about her?" Mike asked.

"Well, she's very protective of Anna. Back in high school she always made sure the guys who went after her knew it, and it scared some of them off."

Mike tried to hide a grin. "Including you?"

Kristoff narrowed his eyes at him but continued, ignoring the question. "From what I can tell she's not thrilled about Anna and Hans. So there's that," he finished.

Mike shrugged. "Okay then."

Kristoff wagged his eyebrows at him. Mike grinned back. "So how'd it happen?" his friend inquired.

"Well, I sort of knocked her over…."

Kristoff stifled a laugh. "I bet she thanked you for that."

"….and I offered to get her some coffee to make up for it."

Kristoff looked surprised. "She said yes?"

"I know, right? She's a little out of my league."

Kristoff smiled at his friend again. "You must be somethin' special, Mike."

Mike was a little taken aback. "I hope so."

"Seriously. My guardians always said she was a tough one for love," Kristoff said.

Mike shot his friend a look. "Really? What do they say about Anna?"

Kristoff blushed a little but waved off the question and stood to leave.

"Well, good luck tomorrow. Don't mess it up, eh?" Kristoff winked and shut the door behind him.

Mike listened to his friend's heavy footfalls fade away, then lay back down. It took a while, but he finally fell asleep after the moon disappeared from the sky.


	5. Chapter 5

**Guys, I'm really pleased with the response I've gotten so far with this story. And I gotta say I've really enjoyed writing it. I apologize if the chapters are a bit short; it's just the way I write. I have plenty more planned though so stick with me ok? Thanks :) Again, I don't own Frozen, and anything else you recognize probably isn't mine either.**

The next morning came with bright sunshine beaming through the window onto Mike's face, waking him. He was fully alert immediately, energized at the thought of seeing Elsa again. He dressed quickly and left Bjorn Hall, even though it was still early. The air outside was crisp and the leaves had begun to change from green to orange; summer was finally waning.

Mike breathed a lungful of the fresh air in through his nose and released it with a contented sigh. Although his nerves were making his stomach churn a bit, he was happier than he could remember being for a while.

His good mood was almost spoiled, however, when he saw Hans approaching, wearing a running outfit and a smirk. He jogged to a halt in front of Mike.

"Hey," he said, smugness unmistakable in his voice.

"Morning," replied Mike coolly.

Hans looked him over, giving Mike the distinct impression that he was looking down on him, even though they were about the same height.

"Nice day, isn't it? Perfect for….relaxing," Hans said, his eyes lingering on Mike's hair, who resisted the urge to pat it down.

"Sure, Hans."

Hans smirked. "What was your name again?"

Mike hid a scowl. "It's Mike."

"Right. Well, I should finish my run. Can't be stopping to chat too much," Hans said, as if he'd already spoken to some other people. With a jaunty wave he took off.

Mike glowered at his back and ran a hand through his hair. _Nothing wrong with my hair_, he thought. _And he was the one who stopped to talk to me._

He glanced at his watch. It was only eight. Mike didn't see a point in going back inside to twiddle his thumbs for the next few hours, so he set off for the library. He figured he'd browse a bit to kill time and take his mind off his nerves.

Two hours later, Mike had selected a few books about nursing and was leafing through a student's narrative, but his thoughts were far from the pages before him. As his watched flipped to 10:01, he thought it was as good a time as any to head down to the café just inside the library.

When he walked in, however, his stomach flipped over and he nearly stopped in his tracks. Elsa was already there, sitting with her back to him by a window. She looked even more stunning in the morning sunshine than Mike remembered. He silently admonished his heart to slow down and approached her table. He tried to think of something clever to say, but came up empty.

"Hi," he said, a little breathlessly.

Elsa looked up and smiled. "Good morning," she said.

Mike grinned back at her and tried to force down his nervousness. "May I sit?"

"Of course."

Mike took the seat opposite her and set his books down.

"You're early," observed Elsa with a trace of amusement in her voice.

Mike shrugged, trying to ignore the heat climbing his neck. "So are you," he replied. "Don't 9:30 classes usually end at-?"

"10:20, I know," she finished. "The professor ended early."

"Oh," Mike said. "Cool."

Silence grew between them. Mike was focused on not catching Elsa's eye without appearing rude, while Elsa observed Mike with amusement.

"So, uh….weather's cooling down, huh?" Mike said, then winced. He was talking about the weather. He felt his cheeks grow warm.

Elsa only giggled at him. "I'm sure you didn't ask me here to talk about the weather, Mike."

Mike's heart gave a big thump at the sound of her saying his name. He smiled sheepishly. "Guess I'm a little nervous. A little."

"Well, you've already knocked me over; how are you going to top that? Don't take that as a challenge," she added with a laugh.

Mike laughed as well. "I won't. But I can't guarantee anything."

"I'll have to get you back for it." Elsa winked at him. Mike grinned back at her. "Why were you in the art building in the first place?" she asked.

Slightly embarrassed, Mike answered, "I was sort of begging for my creative arts grade. The papers I had are all the make up work I have to look forward to." He laughed.

Elsa giggled again. "Not a very artsy person, I take it?"

Mike blew some air out of the side of his mouth. "Yeah, not really. The class itself is also just phenomenally boring," he said. "How about you?"

"I'm an art major, actually," she said. She laughed at his mixed reaction.

Before Mike could recover, however, Elsa's face brightened and she jumped up. "I love this song! Come here," she said, grabbing Mike's hands and all but yanking him from his seat. Completely caught off guard, Mike found himself spinning around in the middle of the café. He found his feet soon after that, though, and then it was his turn to surprise Elsa by leading her into a swing dance he'd learned in high school. He spun her around once and caught her back in his arms as Elvis Presley crooned the lyrics to Burning Love:

_Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature rising_

_Higher, higher, it's burnin' through to my soul_

_Girl, girl, girl, you're gonna set me on fire_

_My brain is flaming, I don't know which way to go_

The routine was simple enough, and Elsa followed his lead easily. They smiled warmly at each other, oblivious to the looks of consternation being shot their direction by the other customers.

_Your kisses lift me higher_

_Like the sweet song of a choir_

_You light my morning sky_

_With burnin' love_

Mike couldn't take his eyes from Elsa's. He'd known this girl for less than twenty-four hours, but he was already sure that she was far more special than any other he'd ever met.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took so long to get this one up and that it's short. But I haven't abandoned this story. Take heart, readers.**

Later, Mike was sitting in the foyer of the engineering building. It was one of his favorite places to study, and he had a class there in a few minutes. But his mind was on neither studying nor his upcoming class.

He relived his morning with Elsa for the hundredth time. After their wild dance, which ended with both of them in giggles, they had left the café for fear of inciting the manager's wrath, and for want of fresh air.

"I've never done anything like that," laughed Mike.

"Really?" Elsa laughed too. "You got right into it."

Mike shifted his books under his arm and shrugged. "I was in swing club in high school, but my performances were always planned ahead," he said with a smile.

Elsa glanced at the books he was holding with curiosity. "So, nursing?"

Mike stared at her blankly until she pointed at his books. "Oh, these. Yeah, I don't know what I want to do yet but I thought I'd look into these."

"I think you'd make a good nurse," said Elsa, smiling.

Mike raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No, really! I don't know, I could just see you being a good nurse."

He nodded slowly. "Alright. Well, what do you want to go into?"

Elsa bit her lip. "I don't know yet, either."

Mike waited. "Nothing? How about dance?" he said teasingly.

Elsa smiled at him. "I've considered it," she joked back. "I like art, but there's not a lot I can do with it. So I'm still figuring it out."

Just then, Mike spotted Kristoff walking their direction and waved at him. Kristoff froze mid wave when he caught sight of Elsa but kept walking towards them.

"Hey Mike. Elsa," he said. Mike stifled a laugh at his friend's nervousness.

"How do you two know each other?" Elsa inquired.

"We live in the same building," answered Mike. "And we both hate Hans," he added with a smile. Kristoff nodded vigorously.

Elsa's expression darkened at the mention of Hans. "I see," she said. She then smiled at Kristoff and continued, "Still looking out for my sister, Kristoff?"

"You bet, Elsa."

"Good," she laughed. She turned to Mike. "My sister Anna is-"

"-dating Hans, I know," he finished.

"Yes," she sighed. "She thinks she's in love with him."

Mike scowled. "He must be a smooth little git."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Oh, he is. I've tried to reason with her about him, but she can be such an airhead sometimes."

"Ain't that the truth," sighed Kristoff. Elsa and Mike stifled giggles. "Well, I'd better head to class."

"Me too," said Elsa as he walked off.

"I'll walk you there," offered Mike. He also offered to take her bag again, but she refused at first, pointing at the pile of books he carried. He shrugged it off and took the bag anyway, earning him a bemused smile from Elsa.

Mike jolted out of his reverie as the door across the hall slammed open and engineering students came pouring out. It was time for his class. He sighed and stood, reluctantly pushing thoughts of Elsa to the back of his mind.


	7. Chapter 7

Mike and Elsa began to spend more time together. Mike would walk Elsa to her classes, and Elsa started accompanying Mike on his wanderings around campus. On one such outing, Mike was made privy to a tragic fact of Elsa's life.

"My parents were killed in a plane crash three years ago," she'd said when he asked what work her parents were in.

Mike blinked. "Oh," he said. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, Mike." Elsa sighed softly. "Anna and I-well, we do alright, now."

Mike hesitated a moment, then put his arm around Elsa's shoulders. She smiled up at him.

"Why didn't you tell me about her parents?" Mike asked Kristoff later.

Kristoff shifted his position on the floor of his room where they were playing Tony Hawk on his ancient Playstation. "I didn't feel like it was my place, I guess," he replied. "Besides, it….it was a long time ago."

"I guess," Mike said. He was aware that Elsa and Anna had had three years to adjust to the loss, but it still weighed a little heavily on his mind.

Just then there came a knock at the door. Kristoff groaned and heaved himself off the floor. All laziness was forgotten, however, when he peeked through the door sight and turned back to Mike, hissing, "It's Hans!"

Shocked, Mike exchanged a bewildered glance with his friend before Kristoff opened the door. Hans stood grinning on the other side.

"What?" asked Kristoff with an ill disguised grumble.

"Evening, all," Hans replied, ignoring Kristoff's disgruntlement. Mike rolled his eyes. _Pretentious prick-_

"Hey, Mike," Hans interrupted Mike's rather uncharitable train of thought. "I have a proposition for you."

Mike exchanged another look with Kristoff. "Oh. Yeah?"

Hans gave his trademark smirk. "Yeah. Anna's told me that you've been spending some time with her sister, Elsa. How would you like to take her on a double date with Anna and myself?"

Mike blushed. "We're not-"

Hans waved a hand and cut him off. "This weekend. Wear something nice, yeah? Check ya later," he said, and turned on his heel to leave, shutting the door behind him.

Kristoff slowly turned to look at Mike. "What just happened?"

Mike stared helplessly back. "I, uh….I don't even know."

As usual when reminded of Hans being with Anna, Kristoff looked slightly annoyed, but he laughed a moment later at the look on Mike's face.

"You've got a date with Elsa, dude! Even if you do have that guy to thank," he said, jerking a thumb at the closed door.

Mike, exasperated, said, "How did he even know I was here? And how does he know about-" He stopped, rubbing his face.

"I bet you Joe told him we were up here, or something," Kristoff said. "And if he's heard from Anna that you and Elsa are friends, that can only mean Elsa's been talking about you!"

"Yeah, but what else has she said, I wonder?" Mike countered.

"Who cares? Unless you did something to embarrass yourself," said Kristoff with a smirk not unlike that of Hans.

Mike gave his friend a good natured shove. "And I still have to actually ask her out," he said, "unless Hans has done that for me, too. He better not," he added, annoyed.

"He won't. I don't think he talks to her unless he has to. I bet Anna put him up to this in the first place," Kristoff replied. "Don't worry," he added with a grin. "She'll say yes. She likes you."

Mike felt his heart swell a little; he couldn't help it. "You think so?"

"Pfft, of course," Kristoff said. "Why else would she keep hanging out with a dork like you?"

He unpaused their game before Mike could retort, who was instead left to mull over the best way to approach Elsa with the "proposition". While he disliked Hans as much as ever, he couldn't help feeling a grudging gratitude toward the guy for putting him in this position. Then again, Mike reflected, he didn't like being indebted to anyone, least of all someone like Hans. He gave an internal sigh as Kristoff skated by and knocked his character over; he could relate in real life.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day, Mike was still unsure of what he was going to tell Elsa. He didn't have a lot of time; it was Thursday, and that morning Hans had informed him of the details. The date was to take place on Friday evening rather than Saturday, as Mike had assumed, and at a restaurant he'd never been to and was sure to be a lavish establishment. He silently cursed Hans for the short notice. But then, he thought, perhaps Anna had informed Elsa of the arrangement ahead of time? Mike held back a groan and ran a hand through his hair.

_I'm freaking out over nothing, _he thought. _Well, not over nothing, but more than necessary. Just chill out-_

Mike's internal monologue was disrupted when he spotted Elsa coming towards him at their usual meeting spot outside the library. Though he was accustomed to it by now, Mike still felt a little jerk in his stomach when he saw her smiling at him. He grinned and waved back at her.

Elsa greeted him warmly and joined him on their bench. "Hi there," she said.

"Hi," said Mike back. _Screw it, I'm doing it now, _he thought.

His resolve was less pronounced on the outside, however. "Uh…are you free tomorrow night?" he asked.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, actually," she replied. "I think I might be busy."

Mike tried to swallow his rising panic. "Oh," he said, a lot more calmly than he felt. "What're you doing?"

Elsa gave him an exasperated half smile. "I have no idea. Anna told me to keep my schedule clear, so-"

Mike almost laughed with relief. "That's great! I mean, I thought…." He trailed off, unsure again what to say, as Elsa waited expectantly.

"Well, uh, Hans has asked me if we, I mean, I, want to double with him and Anna, with you," he said awkwardly. _So eloquent, Mike, _he thought to himself. "Uh, tomorrow night," he added.

She looked at him, some confusion on her face. "Hans wants you to take me out?"

"Yes," Mike said. "Well, I want to take you out, too," he added quickly, blushing a little. _Be cool, Mike-_

Elsa smiled and said, "I'd love to go with you," laying a hand on top of his. _Whoa. _Her touch was electric.

Mike looked up from their hands and grinned at her. "Awesome," he said. He laughed a little. "Wow, I was really nervous for a second there."

She giggled a bit at that. "I thought so. But there was no need," she assured.

Just then Hans jogged by in his running outfit and usual smirk. "That guy has the weirdest timing," Mike said in consternation. He turned back to Elsa. "How long have he and Anna been seeing each other?" he asked.

Elsa idly turned Mike's hand over to examine his palm. "Since just after we graduated high school. I think he wanted to ask her out earlier, but he waited until I wasn't with her all the time anymore," she said. She looked up at Mike. "I'm torn between wanting to protect her and letting her have her own life," she added. "It's been like that since the accident."

Mike nodded. "I have no idea what that's like. I'm an only child," he said wryly. "It must be so difficult," he went on softly.

Elsa watched a bird land nearby and peck at some crumbs on the ground outside the café. "It was at first," she said. "We lived with my father's sister and she took care of us, but she isn't a young woman and Anna always came to me when she needed something."

"And who did you go to?" Mike asked.

She thought on that for a moment. "Anna was there for me, too, in her own way," she said with a smile.

Mike gripped her hand in his. "I'll be here, too," he said earnestly. She looked back at him, her eyes shining. "Thank you, Mike."

"Of course, Elsa."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait on this one. I made it a bit longer than usual though. :)**

The rest of the day and the next passed agonizingly slowly and way too fast at the same time. Mike swung back and forth between impatience and near terror. He was to pick up Anna and Elsa at their aunt's house to meet Hans at the restaurant. Hours before the date Kristoff found him pacing nervously back and forth in his room.

"Dude, relax! You'll be fine," his friend admonished with a bemused smile. Mike looked up at him, his eyes almost wild with panic.

"How did you get in here?" he asked in confusion.

Kristoff looked at him with concern. "You...left the door open," he said.

Mike blinked. "Oh."

He resumed his pacing. "I looked up this place and it is way too classy for me," he fretted. "The ceiling is gold leaf!"

Kristoff snorted and waved that off. "That's not true," he said, though he didn't look entirely certain. "Anyway, who cares?"

Mike stopped again and looked at his friend. "I'm sorry, man," he said. "I wish you were coming with us instead of Hans."

Kristoff huffed and flopped down on Joe's bed. "Yeah, me too," he said. "Maybe someday."

At that moment Mike's roommate strode through the door. "Hey, Mike," he said cheerily.

"Hey," Mike greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Joe somehow reached up to put Mike in a headlock and mess up his hair. "So I heard you've got a date with a total babe," he said proudly.

Mike pushed him away. "She's not a babe," he said, then frowned. "Well, she is, kinda, but she's got a name," he added.

"Whoa, no offense intended, bro," Joe chuckled. He seemed to notice Kristoff sitting awkwardly on his bed for the first time and held up his hand. "Slap me some skin!" he said enthusiastically.

Bewildered, Kristoff complied. Mike hid a grin behind his hand.

A few hours later, Mike, feeling thoroughly unprepared and dressed in khakis and a blue button down shirt, started his Jeep and drove to the address Elsa had given him. He found himself idling in front of a tidy little house in a neighborhood that had clearly been around much longer than he'd been alive. Mike turned off the engine, checked his hair in the rearview mirror, and got out of the car. Heart thumping in his throat, he walked up a few steps to the front door and knocked.

Almost immediately, the door opened with some unnecessary force and he was greeted with the sight of a young woman with ginger hair, brimming with excitement, whom he could only assume was Anna. She was dressed in a bottle green blouse over a black skirt that stopped and flared out slightly at her knees. His assumption was confirmed as the girl stuck out her hand with a grin and introduced herself.

"Hi! I'm Anna! You're Mike, right? Oh, he's cute!" she said in a rush, yelling the last statement over her shoulder into the house.

"Yes, that's me." Bemused, Mike shook her hand, feeling a little more at ease.

"Anna!" said a chiding voice that Mike recognized easily. Elsa soon appeared in the doorway, wearing a cream colored dress with her hair in an elegant bun, and looking every bit as beautiful as the first time Mike ever laid eyes on her. He smiled a little shyly at her.

"Hi, Mike," she said with a smile back at him. She turned back to her sister. "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" Anna replied enthusiastically.

Elsa rolled her eyes at her sister's antics but accompanied the gesture with a fond smile. She took Mike's arm and the three of them made their way to his car parked on the street. Mike was already feeling much better about the whole thing as he bantered easily with Elsa. He opened first the back door for Anna, then the passenger door for Elsa.

"You know where the restaurant is?" Elsa asked as Mike pulled away from the curb.

"Yep," he replied. "But I looked up the menu online and I didn't know what half of the dishes were," he added with a chuckle.

Before long they found the restaurant, but were less fortunate in finding a place to park. Eventually Mike settled for a vacant lot about a block away.

"I'm sorry, ladies," he said, getting out and walking around to Elsa's door. "I hope you're okay with walking a bit."

Elsa graciously took his offered hand to get out of the car; to Mike, she was like a queen disembarking from a ship, or a movie star exiting a limousine. He grinned happily at her. He still found it a little difficult to take in that he was lucky enough to be her date for an evening.

"It's fine! It'll be fun!" said Anna, having hopped out of the car before Mike could open her door. She flitted ahead of them, then stopped and returned just as quickly. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"So where was your aunt tonight?" Mike asked as they set off down the street.

"She's a little sick. She just went to bed early," Elsa explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mike said.

"She's fine, just a cold," she added with a smile at the look of worry on Mike's face.

"That's good." He nudged her playfully with his shoulder. "I bet you could make Hans feel sick just by looking at him," he said teasingly.

Elsa looked at him sideways with her eyebrows raised. "That I could," she replied, "and you better not forget it," she added to Anna, who was laughing.

"Be nice, won't you? He _is_ my boyfriend," she said.

"I'm always nice. It's a question of whether or not he behaves himself."

They reached the restaurant and entered, encountering a crowd of people waiting to be seated. Mike caught sight of Hans waving at them before standing and making his way towards them.

"Welcome," he said, as if he owned the place, placing his arm around Anna's waist. Mike and Elsa exchanged exasperated glances.

"I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up," Hans added to Anna, kissing her cheek. "I had a meeting with the fraternity presidency right before the reservation.

"Shall we go sit?" he said, then steered Anna away without waiting for an answer. Mike followed, trying to navigate the crowd without stepping on anyone's feet, and he felt Elsa take his hand to ensure that they weren't separated. He grimaced apologetically over his shoulder and she squeezed his hand.

"Fancy place," she said. It was indeed posh and extravagant, with ornate carpeting, tables with white cloths, and chandeliers sparkling overhead. Mike glanced upward, but was unable to tell if the ceiling was actually gold leaf.

"It's alright," he replied airily, prompting a laugh from Elsa.

"Must be, with all of these people," she remarked. They finally reached their table, and Mike pulled out a chair for Elsa before sitting down next to her. He was distracted for a moment by the sound of a live string quartet beginning a new piece. He felt a little uncomfortable at the lavishness of it all, but soon forgot it when he looked around to catch Elsa smiling at him.

The dinner went as smoothly as Mike could have hoped; he stuck with something he was familiar with and afterwards shared a delicious slice of chocolate mousse cake with Elsa, who he learned had a weakness for the stuff; he made a mental note of it for future reference.

Meanwhile, Hans and Anna were the picture-perfect couple, he with his smug smile at being accompanied by a beautiful girl, while she positively glowed with delight. None of Elsa's suspicion nor dislike of Hans showed on her face, flawlessly replacing it with politeness, meanwhile sharing her exasperation at her sister with Mike through sidelong glances. She also allowed a genuine gladness to show through, telling Mike that she was enjoying his company, which made his heart swell with happiness.

They lingered over the food and made casual conversation, the meal having left them pleasantly content. In due course silence fell between them. Hans and Anna were exchanging apprehensive glances, though Mike and Elsa hardly noticed, their hands intertwined under the table. Finally Hans cleared his throat.

"We have an – ah – announcement to make," he said, uncharacteristically on edge. He took Anna's hand, who smiled nervously and continued, "Elsa – and Mike – we're – that is –"

Mike felt Elsa tighten her grip on his hand in trepidation. "Come on, Anna," she said, a little anxiously.

No one spoke for a moment. It was Hans who finally said, "We're having a baby."


	10. Chapter 10

Dead silence fell, broken by snatches of conversation from other patrons and the soft notes of the string quartet. Stunned, Mike turned to Elsa, whose calm exterior had shattered into shock, hurt, and then fury.

"Hans," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "What did you say?"

"Elsa, please," said Anna, reaching across the table for Elsa's hand, who didn't reach back. Anna let her hand drop.

"I'll be a legal adult in a few months. We love each other…." she said, looking at Hans and turning back to her sister. "We're keeping it. It's what we want."

Mike could feel Elsa trembling slightly. "Anna, you're still in high school! How can you know that this is what you want? How will you take care of a _baby?" _she said desperately. "And you!" she said, turning to Hans. She stood, her voice rising. "You impregnated my sister?!" Some people looked around in bewilderment.

"Now, hold on," Hans said, looking around and standing to reach for Elsa's shoulder. She jerked back.

Anna looked at her imploringly. "Elsa….please. Sit down," she pleaded.

After a tense moment, Elsa complied. Hans sat back down as well.

"Anna….why?" Elsa said, barely above a whisper. Her eyes emanated worry and disappointment.

Anna looked very unsure of herself. "I – I'm sorry, Elsa," she said.

Hans frowned. "We shouldn't be sorry. This should be a happy moment."

Elsa looked as though she might punch Hans in the face. Mike hesitantly laid a hand on her arm. To his relief she didn't jerk away, but neither did she acknowledge the touch. She only stared at Anna, anguish plain on her face. After a moment she sighed and closed her eyes, using her free hand to massage her forehead. She looked around imploringly at Mike, and he wordlessly took her hand as they both stood.

"I think it's best if…." For once Elsa was at a loss for words. She gave Anna one last look of sorrow, then turned to leave. Mike hastily threw some cash on the table and followed.

"Elsa!" they heard Anna call, but Elsa didn't stop until they had exited the restaurant. She stood, looking dejected, facing the street. Mike went to join her, saying nothing.

Finally she spoke. "How could she do this," she said, less of a question than a statement thrown into the wind. Mike fidgeted uneasily before reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he said quietly.

Elsa sighed but did not reply, instead turning and walking slowly back to Mike's car.

Later that night Mike lay on his bed, absently tossing a tennis ball into the air and catching it again. He stopped when he failed to catch it and it hit him in the face.

He sighed and turned over. He didn't know what he could do to help Elsa. To be sure, he felt remorseful about the whole situation, but he was also trying not to feel frustrated and resentful. He had concluded that Hans had gotten him involved in an attempt to smooth the exchange when he and Anna broke the news to Elsa; whether it had worked was in question, but Mike didn't care so much about that.

He felt angry at Hans, not only for dragging him into the whole mess, but for creating the mess in the first place….he was sure that the whole thing was Hans's fault, after all….or would Anna have still gotten pregnant if she'd had a different boyfriend? He didn't know. Mike groaned and buried his face in his pillow. It didn't really matter; what was happening, was happening, and Mike felt powerless.

Just then his phone began vibrating. He picked up without removing his face from his pillow. "Hmmo?" Reluctantly he turned over and cleared his throat. "Hello?"

"Mike?" He recognized her voice right away.

"Elsa! What's going on?" he said, sitting upright.

She sighed audibly, filling Mike's ear with static. "Nothing, Mike. It's just….I just wanted to apologize for you being dragged into this whole thing," she said.

Mike almost laughed. "That's okay. You don't have to apologize; the whole thing was-" He stopped, scowling.

"Hans, I know," said Elsa. "Still, it…." She sighed again. "You should never have been brought into it."

There was an awkward silence. "Elsa, I want to help you," Mike said emphatically.

"I don't want you to feel any kind of obligation, or something," she said insistently. "It's not your problem, after all-"

Mike interrupted. "Yeah, but Elsa, I _want _to help. You don't have to take care of things - of Anna - on your own anymore."

There was another silence. Mike could faintly hear Elsa breathing on the other end, and he could almost see her biting her lip as she contemplated how to respond. Finally, "Alright, then. I'll….I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I really just need this day to be over," said Elsa. She then added, "Mike….I did have a good time with you. Before, you know."

The corner of Mike's mouth lifted in a small smile. "Yeah. Me too."

Neither spoke for a moment, and Mike found himself feeling content simply sharing that moment with Elsa, in their own little space within the static.

"Goodnight, Mike."

"Sleep well, Elsa."

**Sorry it took so long to get this one up. It's been kind of slow, writing and the story itself, but it'll get better. **


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, the sky was cloudy and grey, and it was chilly, even indoors. Mike's first waking thoughts were of Elsa, as they had been for weeks now. He'd had a good rest after he'd finally fallen asleep, and he stretched and sighed contentedly, not wanting to let the fantasies of the night slip away too quickly. He didn't want to move, either; there was something serious lurking on the horizon of his thoughts, and he wasn't keen on bringing it to the forefront of his mind. But as he came to full consciousness, the memory of last night's news and the current predicament came crashing in.

He sighed again through his nose and turned over, glad at least that it was Saturday and he didn't have anywhere to be, though he did have a paper to write for his English class on Monday. At length he heaved himself out of bed to get ready for the day. He shivered as he left the comfort of his bed and threw on a sweatshirt over his jeans.

Mike was deep into research for his paper when his stomach growled at him. He quickly texted Kristoff to meet him in the cafeteria and sent off another text to Elsa on his way out of Bjorn Hall. He hadn't forgotten that she'd said last night that she would see him today, and he was eager to know where and when. This thought was driven from his mind as he went outside and was buffeted by the cold wind, and he hurried to the cafeteria.

He'd already gotten his food and started eating when Kristoff plopped himself down across from Mike. He was in pajama bottoms and a hoodie, rather bleary eyed, and his hair was flattened to one side of his face while it stuck out at odd angles on the other side.

"Good morning, princess," Mike said with some amusement over his sandwich. Kristoff acknowledged this with a grunt and took a sip from his orange juice. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes as Mike allowed his friend to fully adjust to the land of the living.

At length Kristoff cleared his throat and said, "So, how'd the date go?"

Mike grimaced slightly and Kristoff raised his eyebrows. "No, it was great," Mike said quickly. "But something's come up….and don't go telling everyone you see, alright?"

Kristoff nodded and Mike took a deep breath before saying simply, "Anna's pregnant."

Kristoff choked on his orange juice and coughed violently for a minute before exclaiming, "What?!"

"Yeah," said Mike. "Elsa was pretty upset."

"Elsa?! What about Anna? How is this okay? When I see Hans I'm gonna-" Kristoff slammed both fists down on the table. At the same moment, Mike's phone, which he'd placed next to his plate, lit up with a reply from Elsa.

_Meet me in front of the library_

Smiling a little but feeling faintly apprehensive, Mike pocketed his phone and looked back up at his friend. Kristoff was silently fuming, and his eyebrows were quirked up in a worried arc. Mike suddenly felt slightly guilty for asking his friend to the cafeteria only to give him bad news and leave abruptly. "She'll be okay," he said, trying to sound reassuring, but it sounded hollow. "We're gonna take care of her."

Kristoff's anger melted away, leaving only the anxiety. "I wish I could help – I mean, I – I really want to help, but everything is just so…._complicated, _and the last thing I want is to be in anyone's way…."

Mike considered this, then replied tentatively, "Maybe you could just start talking to her again?" It sounded feeble to his ears, but what else could he say? "She'd like that, right? It's really just Hans who would want to keep you out of it, and who cares what he thinks anyway."

Kristoff was frowning and his brow furrowed. "Maybe," he said. Then he exhaled rather forcefully and added, "This is just crazy."

They fell silent again for a moment, before Mike gathered his things and stood to leave. "I've got to meet Elsa," he said. Kristoff nodded once, intent on staring a hole through the table with his chin resting on his fist. "See you later, then," said Mike, somewhat awkwardly, and left.

Five minutes later he was outside the library, pacing around slowly with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched against the chill. He looked up when he heard approaching footsteps, but it wasn't Elsa.

_Okay, _he thought. _I need to think this out. Kristoff is my friend. Kristoff likes, maybe even loves, Anna. Anna is Elsa's sister; Elsa is…._What was Elsa? Skip that, _Anna is pregnant. Poor situation for everyone, but should I even be involved? Maybe Elsa was right-_

He looked up again at the sound of another set of footsteps; this time it was Elsa, wearing an overcoat with matching boots. She gave him a tired smile and his doubt disappeared. Before he could think of something to stop himself, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened slightly, then relaxed into him, snaking her arms around his waist and letting out a long sigh.

"I'm so…." she mumbled into his chest.

Mike gently traced a pattern over her back with one finger. "So what?" he murmured back.

Elsa pulled away but remained in the circle of his arms. "I'm so tired." She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then looked back up at him. "Anna didn't come home last night," she said.

Mike frowned at that. He followed suit as Elsa made to sit on their favorite bench.

"Have you talked to her at all since last night?" he asked, taking a seat next to her with his hands in his coat pockets.

She shook her head. "I don't – "

"Elsa!"

Bewildered, Mike stared over Elsa's shoulder at a ginger haired figure hurrying toward them.

" – know where she is," Elsa finished, also watching Anna approach with consternation.

"Elsa," said Anna again when she came to a halt in front of them, slightly out of breath. "Thank goodness I found you – "

"And how did you find me?" asked Elsa, her voice a mix of confusion and misgiving.

"Aunt Gerda told me you were heading up to campus," replied Anna, sitting down on Elsa's other side.

"But how did you know where to look?"

Anna gave her sister a sheepish smile. "Weeeell I sort of read your journal – "

"_What?!" _

" – and you talked about this place in front of the library you like hanging out at with – " Anna cut herself off, glancing at Mike with a cheeky grin, who felt his face grow warm.

Elsa stared at Anna before shaking her head and sighing again. She glanced at Mike, looking self-conscious, and looked away again. Mike found this rather endearing and smiled to himself.

The three of them sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute before everyone started talking at once.

"So – " Mike began.

"Anna – " Elsa started.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Anna burst out. Mike and Elsa were quiet as she continued. "I know I've disappointed you and it just came out of the blue, and I know how you feel about Hans, and I just – I'm so sorry," she finished, fighting back tears. A small sob escaped her and she began to cry in earnest.

Mike's heart thumped painfully for her, and he bit his lip worriedly, unsure of what to do. Elsa's expression softened and she reached out to hug her sister. Anna gratefully fell into the embrace and sniffled quietly into Elsa's shoulder, who looked at Mike helplessly. He made to put his arm around her but thought better of it, feeling that he was already intruding on a private moment.

After a while, Elsa spoke. "Anna, I'm sorry too. For the way I stormed out last night. And I'm your sister…." She gently pushed Anna upright. "You know that I'm here for you."

Anna looked on the verge of tears again, but instead gave a watery smile. "Yeah, I know," she said thickly. "I guess, I don't know, I'm just a wreck because of everything that's happened, not you, of course, but Hans wants me to move in with him but I don't know if he's really happy and – " She stopped herself and made a frustrated noise.

"Have you told Aunt Gerda?" asked Elsa.

"Ummm….no," Anna said, shamefaced.

"Well, we can tell her together. One thing at a time, okay?" said Elsa gently, standing and taking her sister's hand. Mike stood as well and met Elsa's eyes for a moment.

"I'm gonna go study," he said, jerking a thumb at the library. She nodded once and smiled tiredly at him before turning to go.

"Elsa," he blurted before he could stop himself. She looked back at him expectantly. Mike needed to talk to her – but what would he say? And how? _She kind of has a full plate_, he thought to himself. He couldn't bring up something like the status of their relationship, not now. It would be selfish.

"I – uh – let me know if you need anything," he said lamely. Elsa nodded again and walked away, arm in arm with Anna. Mike watched them go and didn't leave the spot until it began to snow, prompting him to finally head into the library. He hoped he could find something to distract him from the gnawing feeling in his heart.


End file.
